Do we look upon our youth as a more innocent time, because we were once as innocent and devoid of cynicism? This is the question at the core of writer-director Junhyeok Kim’s Back Then.
Haneul (Hyun Lee) is leaving home, ready to begin his journey toward an uncertain future. During the cab ride, he glances out of the window as his mind drifts. For some, hearing a song brings back a memory; the same is possible with objects or letters, or in this case, a crumbled Leche Frita wrapper.
“…as swiftly as the friendship blossoms, it ends, as Patricia’s father tells her they are returning to Spain.”
Suddenly, we slip back to Haneul’s past. We’ve all experienced that moment of being the new kid in school, a stranger from a strange land. New town, new friends, new way of life, and in Haneul’s case, new country. Coming from South Korea, the young boy is wide-eyed and open, yet cautious. That’s until he finds a friend in Patricia (Valentina Perez), a fellow fish out of water. But where others see oddity, Patricia sees only kindness and curiosity, and a kindred spirit. Sadly, as swiftly as the friendship blossoms, it ends, as Patricia’s father tells her they are returning to Spain.
Back Then is a delicate visual poem that reminds us of the people who come into our lives for an hour, a month, a season, a decade, or sometimes our entire time on Earth. The people who make an impact, no matter how small. Some are even as important as booster rockets are to a spacecraft. But even they jettison once the craft attains orbit. This sentiment surfaces beautifully as the tale concludes, stating that perhaps our existence is one of perpetual longing, for all the moments and people precious to our souls, now lost to time.
"…a delicate visual poem..."
